Aliens: Fireteam and More of This Week's News for Nerds

Welcome to this week’s PUNCHLIST, where we round up the biggest news in nerd culture. We highlight the tastiest morsel in some detail and then close you out with a link round-up.

Trailer for Aliens: Fireteam

Game ON, Man!

Aliens: Fireteam will be the first console video game for the Alien franchise since 2014’s Alien: Isolation – although a small handful of arcade, VR, and mobile games have debuted during that gap.

It appears that the feel and gameplay of the two titles closely matches that of the movie contained in their title:

Alien: Isolation was a more stealth-based survivor horror style of game (as was Alien), while Aliens: Fireteam looks to be more of a shoot-em-up (as was Aliens, which Sigourney Weaver recently revealed was her favorite of the franchise). It is described as a cooperative third-person shooter set over 20 years after the events of Alien 3.

The video game was initially set to be preceded by a limited comic series from Dark Horse called Aliens: Colonial Marines: Rising Threat, which would have introduced at least one setting (the Katanga Refinery). However, the series was cancelled following allegations levied against the writer, Brian Woods.

Aliens: Fireteam will have players begin as new recruits and level up as they complete missions, unlocking new abilities and weapons along the way. Five different classes will be available to players as they fight to survive the game’s four, three-part campaigns:

Gunner
Demolisher
Technician
Doc
Recon

The developers boast an arsenal of over 30 guns (and 70+ modifications to said guns), 11 Xenomorph types (click here for IGN’s exclusive first look at 6 brand new Xenomorphs!), multiple difficulty settings that can be further modified by Challenge Cards, and lots of customizability for players.

The game is due out this summer on Steam, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The rating is still pending, but given the history of the franchise and the fact that you have to enter your birthdate in order to access the game’s website, an M-rating is likely.